Balancing Freelancing with an Office Job
In order to produce the podcast and keep content up free for you, I work with partners so this post may contain affiliate links. Please read my full disclosure for more info.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about deciding on focusing all my energy on my own business or splitting it with steady office work. I'm grateful to have been offered some more work. I had just wanted to weigh the pros and cons of the situation. 
Sam at Financial Samurai, Jeff at Sustainable Life, and Doug Warshauer suggested that I try to do both. I decided to do that and gave myself 30 days to see if it can be done.
The advantage of that strategy is that we get extra income, while I still try to grow the business. The disadvantage with this plan is just being tired all the time. I'm learning quickly to manage my time more effectively.
I'm in the middle of the experiment and I'm debating back and forth if how long I want to keep it up. I told my husband that I was going to stop at the end of the month, but now I'm having second thoughts. I just think I need to continue improving and see if I can turn this opportunity into a big win.
Prioritizing My Time
With my time limited due to my schedule office assignment, I have to be productive with the time that I have.
- Finding new clients/advertisers
- Stay on top of my current work assignments
- Keep invoices current
As you can see, bringing in income is my focus. After all, if the business has no money, it's done. As I work on different activities, I ask myself if they help me with one of my three priorities.
My To-Do List on the BackBurner
These items are important, but not absolutely vital.
- Update my work site
- Set up new design at Couple Money
As I adjust to my new schedule and find ways to be more effective and efficient, I'll go through the list.
Your Thoughts on Juggling Jobs
How do you effectively manage your time between your office job and freelance work?
Photo Credit: stevendepolo
I’ve always been one of those strange creatures who doesn’t feel productive if I’m not freelancing AND working FT in an office. I’ve been like this ever since I can remember. I went to college full-time, worked full-time AND had another freelance gig or two on the side, and I’ve been go-go-go since then. At first, I did it because I had to; now, I do it because I like the extra income.
Sometimes, it’s hard to juggle if I take on a lot of work, but I’ve learned not do take on too much. I don’t really watch TV or do too many activities, so I always have time after work or on the weekends for my side gigs.
Check out the book “The Other 8 Hours” I’d be happy to mail you my copy if you’d like. Its a great book all about maximizing…the othe 8 hours lol
@RDS: Yeah, I’ve been the same way since college. I enjoy having things to do, but I’m learning that I need to be a bit more balanced. Good idea on utilizing TV time. I’m not too excited about any TV shows now, so I could use the time to work.
@Evan: Thanks for the recommendation, I’m definitely going to check it out! I’ll stop by the library this weekend and grab a copy.
Hi Elle – Question for you. Why do you feel you have to redesign your site? I think it’s fine just the way it is. What are the “deficiencies” you see that make you want to redesign? Is there actually a recommendation out there to redesign once every 6 months or year or something to keep things fresh? Just curious.
Good plan to give it a go for 30 days or so! I guess I sometimes wonder if I should be spending more time figuring out my business, but I like to just think about it as it comes.
Best, Sam
@Sam: Thanks; I’m glad you enjoy the site.
Ever since I started Couple Money I had a certain goal for the site. As I’ve been writing and building the site, I’ve gotten a clearer idea of how I’d like to execute my goal. I love the blog and want to grow it into a resource site with templates and useful programs.
I’d be willing to help you with the site design for cheap if you need the help. Just let me know. 🙂